Strauss Lunyangwe
Lydia Garises, better known as Damasfusion, and her band will be gracing the FNCC stage tonight in honour of International Jazz Day, marked around the world officially on Sunday.
The show is free of charge, and starts at 19h00.
Damasfusion told VIBEZ! that she is honoured and excited to perform as the day highlights jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe.
“It is a UNESCO event, and the purpose is to create a platform to educate people about jazz music and the role it plays in our societies,” she enthused.
“This will be the sixth time that the event is celebrated… I believe jazz is powerful, jazz is unifying, and jazz is bold and beautiful.”
The afro-fusion artist feels that most genres are heavily borrowing elements from jazz music, and believes the genre is very much relevant in this era.
“If we talk about Afro-beat from Nigeria and Ghana, it is influenced by the highlife music of Fela Kuti and Femi Kuti, which is pure West African jazz. Semba from Angola is also influenced by jazz if you listen to chord progressions of some Matias Damasio tracks. So, jazz music started way back in the 1920s,” she added.
This year, the day will be celebrated under the theme ‘Jazz and
Innovation’, focussing on the innovative spirit of jazz, and the ways in which jazz musicians have pushed the boundaries of musical expression.
“In Namibia, jazz is regarded as a genre for academics. But jazz music can be enjoyed by people from different cultures and backgrounds. Come through and listen to this beautifully-crafted music. The City of Windhoek has always been hosting the Windhoek Jazz Festival, and we hope that it will be back this year.”
As for what fans can expect from her, she said it will be a night full of surprises with repertoires from her own compositions, and well-known standard jazz covers.
“A medley made of well-known Namibian folklore, Bossa Nova, Afro-jazz and Smooth Contemporary jazz. Basically, it’ll be a melting pot of beautifully-crafted sounds. Covers like ‘Bessa me Mucho’ and my own ‘Sunset in !Namib’ form part of the repertoire. And, of course, some upbeat songs to just groove on.”
Elsewhere in Namibia, the Masterclass for Youth in Jazz will be performing in Otjiwarongo on Saturday, while Bertholdt Mbinda and Esme Songbird will be live on Sunday at the Lüderitz Waterfront Harbour Square from 13h00 till 15h00.
- slunyangwe@nepc.com.na